Billy Joel Says He’s Not ‘Interesting Enough’ for a Biopic

Even though biopics of '70s rock stars are in high demand right now, Billy Joel doesn't expect one to be made about his life.

In a new interview with Rolling Stone, he said his backstory doesn't have enough of the juicy bits required for a movie, noting that he "doesn't have enough objectivity" to take part in a biopic. He added that he learned a lesson from a previous attempt to look back at his life.

"I was gonna write an autobiography at one time — and I did," he explained. "There wasn’t enough sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll in it for the publisher, so I gave the advance money back. I said, 'Fuck it, that’s me.' I don’t know if I’m interesting enough to make a movie out of. I lived my life. I don’t want to be redundant."

Joel turns 70 on May 9 and will celebrate with a concert as part of his ongoing once-a-month residency at New York's Madison Square Garden. His shows are usually a blend of hits and his favorite album tracks, but fans probably won't hear "Captain Jack," which Joel said he rarely performs these days because he doesn't like playing it.

"He didn’t age well," he said. "Captain Jack’s been demoted to Private Jack. In the verses, there’s only two chords, and it goes on and on, and it’s kind of a dreary song if you think of the lyrics. The kid is sitting home jerkin’ off. His father’s dead in the swimming pool. He lives this dull suburban existence until he gets high. One of the last times I was singing the song, I said, 'This is really depressing.' The only relief you get is when the chorus kicks in. When I’m doing the song, I feel kinda dreary and I don’t like doing the song anymore, although we’ll probably do it again."

Unlike some of his peers, Joel said he's not looking to do anything to make himself look younger, noting that it's "ridiculous. I’ve always been a schlubby-looking guy, and I ain’t about to change. Plastic surgery, wigs, I don’t know. It has nothing to do with music. It’s all about an image and look. I am 70 years old. I’ve never hidden my age, so why should I start now?"